Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-02-11
orr NAVY


ITS ACTUAL SIZE IN SHIPS AVAILABLE FOR
SERVICE FATS FROM ADMIRAL PuRTEKS
REPORTS-wHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
PRESENT CONDITION or THINGS.
From the Boston journal
\ reader of The journal requests us to
state the number and class of vessels in our
navy and the service which they might be
expected to render in case of war, In
recent letter Admiral Porter says that our
navy has dwindled t. % vessels that can
bee used for actual service, of which 20 are
only third rate and five are only fourth
rate, equivalent Ia tugs. The rest of our
navy is represented by 10 vessels, includ-
ing old frgates which were the pride of
the nation wears ago, old monitors or iron
cads under contract (which may he fin
ished some day" None of the 80 are fit
for actual service. The admiral says that
the real navy consists of l3 iron ships, on
~ one of which, the Dolphin, is complete,
and nine of them are either just put under
contract or are not designed. That is, a
very large part of the real navy is unreal.
Congress has voted the money and their
construction will begin at AN early day.
The four monitors, the Anphtrite, Monad-
mock. Terror and Miantunomah, are ships
the hulls of which We're built under Score
tary Ruheson. but were made the objects of
political attack and have not been finished
The naval authorities have from time to
time urged their completion and the Demo
cratic naval committee of the present
House representing the views of the pres
eut Democratic management of the navy
department, recommended the completion
of these ships, the former in their report
showing that they are the equals of similar
ships made by other nations. That com
mittee also recommended i'm its report an
appropriation 10 complete them, but the
steering committee of the House subsequent
~ caused the report to be 50 modified that
no appropriation was made for the compile
ton of these ships Last season, by order
of the secretary of the navy, competent
board of naval officers examined the iron
ships in the American merchant marine to
ascertain if any of them would do for
auxiliary cruisers This board reported
that about a dozen ships had the speed and
the strength which would make them avail
able as cruisers in the event of war, being
those chiefly built by John Roach, who has
been 50 extensively and UNANIMOUSLY attack
ed by what many believe to be the subsid-
lied correspondents of newspapers.
In this connection it is proper 10 add that
there is IA great deal of misapprehension in
regard 10 the causes of the present cOndi-
ton of our navy 1t is favorte trick of
a class of newspapers and of Congressman
to declare that the naval expenditure since
1869 has been at the rate of $50, 600 900 "A
year, thereby giving the impression that
this amount has been wasted in the con
struction of worthless vessels. Such init
nations are dishonest and no one knows
better that they are false than those who
make them. In the first place, much more
than half of the millions appropriated an
nually go 10 pay officers and men and to
feed and cluthe them. Large amounts are
paid for supplies and 10 keep up the navy
yards, The amount appropriated during
the last ten years for the increase of the
navy has been only S5,G416l1! This is
the statement of Admiral Porter in his re
cent letter 10 Representative Lawler, And
it may Ice added that this money has large
~ been voted within the past four or five
years and in the face of the opposition of
the leading Democrats in the House, In
1874 the first Democratic House was elect